


Accomplishments

by SirLadySketch



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Gen, Getting to know you fics, adventures in a winter wonderland, aka Emprise du Lion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4525500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirLadySketch/pseuds/SirLadySketch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang gets to know each other by touting their accomplishments while walking through a winter wonderland. Pre-relationship fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accomplishments

“What would you say was your biggest accomplishment, Inquisitor?” asked Dorian as they hiked through the snow. The mage was rather chatty this morning, keeping up a constant banter as they made their way through knee-deep snow. 

“You mean other than surviving the fade, becoming Inquisitor, and ending the war between mages and Templars?” snorted Bull, shuffling along in front to plow the path ahead for the rest of the party. Dorian waved him off, tsking, although Remli laughed, picking her way along Bull’s path.

“I don’t think of those things as accomplishments so much as a series of fortunate events in which I ended up not dying a terrible and painful death,” she chuckled, “I think accomplishments are generally things you actively work towards.”

“A fair point, “ murmured Solas behind her, “but do not discount the efforts you made to make those things happen. Coincidence or not, you did achieve those goals.”

Dorian barked out a laugh. “You see?” he said, scooping up a handful of snow and chucking it at Bull’s head. “Solas agrees with me.”

Bull grunted, muttering something under his breath about dumping the mage in the snow to cool his head, but Dorian fell back to walk beside Remli, well out of the Qunari’s reach. She scrunched up her nose as she pondered the question.

“Well… all of that aside, I suppose my greatest accomplishments would be the day my apprentice proved his mastery of hunting. I trained the boy since he was little bigger than a nug,” she laughed, lowering her palm to her mid thigh, “His Keeper had sent him to our clan, claiming they had one too many hunters, but I think there was a fear there, too. They named him _Dafen_ , since he was _fenhalin_.” 

Solas sucked in his breath at that, and she glanced back at him. For all he disliked the Dalish, he no doubt knew what that meant, if not all the subtle social connotations it held. She wondered if that would change how he viewed her, then flushed to realize how much it bothered her to think that it could. Fortunately, the other two members of their party did not catch Solas’ reaction, or if they did they made no note of it. Bull turned to glance over his shoulder at her.

“’Fraid you’re gonna have to explain it to the pretty boy, Boss,” said Bull, nodding at Dorian. “My bet is that his elvish is limited, so he misses out on the finer nuances of the name.”

“You’ll miss out on some finer things, you great ox,” quipped Dorian, and Bull sighed. Remli spoke quickly in order to head off what seemed to be heading for a battle of wits and/or lover’s spat. Truly, she couldn’t tell the difference these days.

“ _Dafen_ means little wolf, in reference to Fen'harel, the trickster god. _Fenhalin_ … that has social context that’s probably best left for another time. I suppose “bastard” is the closest term in Common. No, Dorian, not mine.” She raised her hand to silence any more questions or interruptions, since Dorian seemed to want to comment on that, and Solas was wincing, no doubt offended by yet another foolish tradition of the misguided Dalish. She cleared her throat before continuing. 

“So, I took him on as my pup, taught him the ways of the woods and the fields, and brought him to heel. It was… trying. The boy had traits of his father that no one really knew how to deal with, and the Keeper was worried that he would be a bad influence on the other clan children.”

“Took after his father, eh? What did he do, howl at the moon?” Dorian laughed, and Remli shook her head, letting out an exasperating sigh.

“Raising wolves would have been easier, I think. They’re instinctively pack-driven and cooperative, and you can reward them with bits of food. Plus they’re fluffier and probably bite less that Dafen did, at least at first.” She grinned, remembering the first few months dealing with the boy. “The food trick worked, though. It’s amazing how well a good meal can motivate a growing boy after a long day of training.

“That was the issue,” she said ducking under a branch heavily-laden with snow. “The boy grew very, very quickly. It soon became apparent that his father had most likely been human.”

There was a quiet silence as the group mulled over her words, although, as usual, Dorian was the first to break the silence.

“I take it that was, ah, taboo or something? No boinking humans in the woods?”

Remli winced, trying to think of a way to describe such things without having to go into much detail. Much to the group’s surprise, it was Solas who spoke up.

“The Dalish tend to keep to themselves, clan to clan. It is not unheard of for a child to be born of out of love to parents of different heritage, but it is rare. In most cases of fenhalin, such a coupling would most likely have been…” Solas trailed off, and Dorian flushed as the implication sank in. 

Remli turned to look at Solas fully, although she could not read his expression. So, clearly he did understand the implications of the boy. Astute as he was, it would not be difficult for him to come to the next logical conclusion about her status within the clan, either. _Fenedhis_. She ignored the sudden lump in her throat and looked forward once again, focusing on the pommel of Bull’s greatsword. 

“For all of that, and maybe because of it, I grew rather fond of the boy,” Remli continued. “I assumed most of his training as he grew older; partially because the other hunters wanted little to do with him, and partially because I was one of the few people who could anticipate and beat him at his own tricks.”

“I never took you to be a motherly sort, Inquisitor,” said Dorian. “I mean no offense, but I find it much easier to imagine you cuddling kittens than bringing up brats.”

“I’m not,” she laughed. “I was no mamae, but a hahren. I made the boy learn, did what I could to make him strong. Tried to guide him through his mistakes and teach him how to avoid them in the future. I wanted to help him stay safe,” she said, lowering her voice, “because he was born to follow his own path. I knew there was a very high probability that he would end up a lone wolf, and it was my duty to ensure that he survived for as long as possible.”

“It would be a difficult path for any to walk,” murmured Solas, and she turned in time to catch a glimpse of a slight smile. “He was fortunate that you were there to help him prepare for the journey ahead.”

“I did my best,” she said, flushing at the compliment. “An accomplishment I cannot take all of the credit for, of course, but I went from one of my lowest points to one of my proudest, and I am pleased to have had a hand in it.”

“Oh, now there has got be a story behind that,” barked out Bull with a laugh, slamming his fist against a tree and bringing a shower of snow down on Dorian, who had taken up second position once again. Remli laughed as she helped Dorian get back on his feet, helping the dampened mage brush snow out of his hair.

“Oh there most definitely is, and it’s a good one, too, but it’s for another time. I want to hear about your accomplishments.” She looked around at the group, trying to judge who would go next.

Solas seemed to be mulling it over, while Bull laughed at the wet mage.

“See that?” he guffawed, “That was a pretty great accomplishment there. What is that expression? Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

Dorian actually growled at that, trying to use subdued fire spells to dry out his clothes. He waved a hand aside, sighing.

“Oh, I was just going to mention the whole portals with time-bending properties, but that seems petty now. My greatest accomplishment is actually going to be this.” 

He braced himself in the snow, stuck out his arms, and channeled his energy on the surrounding trees. Slowly, quietly, the snow slid off the trees branches and gathered in a large mass suspended high in the air, directly above Bull’s head.

Bull, for his part, did not flinch as the deluge of snow descended. He did, however, lunge for the Tevinter mage, and given Dorian’s tendency to target his opponents rather than their locations, when the whole mass fell, he was buried as well.

Remli stood behind Solas, who had swept her behind the protective ward he’d made to deflect most of the snow. She could feel the tingle of his magic through his hand on her arm, a warm, pleasant sensation. She placed her own hand over his, and he turned back to her, surprised to realize that he was still holding on to her.

“Apologies, Inquisitor,” he said, removing his hand from her arm, but taking her hand in his. “I trust you did not suffer any ill effects of their charade?”

She laughed, flushing at his touch and grinning at the writhing mound of snow in front of them.

“Thank you Solas, I am warm and dry, thanks to you. I appreciate your reflex skills immeasurably.” She peered around the clearing while the Dorian and Bull emerged, a tangle of limbs. “I think we’d best stop here for the night. It’s not an ideal camp, but the rock face should keep us fairly protected, and it looks like we don’t need to worry about any snow melting off of the trees and into a fire.”

Solas gave her a small smile in return. “Indeed.”

They spent the next hour setting up a camp, Remli ordering the two mischief makers to cooking and cleanup duties as punishment for delaying their trip up the icy mountain. After a token bit of arguing, they relented, and no one complained when she suggested they turn in early for the night. 

As she settled down in their tent, she cracked an eye open to watch Solas’s back, rising and falling in an easy, gentle sleep. She realized that she had not had a chance to ask Solas about his accomplishments. He’s seen so much and been so many places over his life, she would be fascinated to hear what he considered to be his crowning achievement. 

She made a mental note to ask him in the morning, and let herself fall into memories of hunting in the woods, her little wolf by her side.

**Author's Note:**

> *Minor edit on 3/17 to correct story in accordance to my headcannons on elf-blooded humans
> 
> I've got a fairly extensive headcannon for how the Dalish view sex, children, and clan societal roles for the way Thedas works (in Remli's world, at least) Which you can read on my blog here: http://sirladysketch.tumblr.com/post/135433693873/the-dalishs-roles-of-sex-adulthood-and-societal
> 
> If I ever get around to my prequel fic "Ties that Bind," this will play a significant role in the shaping of Remli as a person and her place within the clan.
> 
> For some context in this story, however, "fenhalin" usually implies that the child is an unwanted product of rape.


End file.
